Chapter 79
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Reunion with Teba
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"Is this the place?"
—Yes.
Standing alone before another Inex Gate as massive as the one in Gangnam, Lee Ru-ri felt her tension building once more.
"What if I die?"
—That won't happen.
"Hoo..."
She took a deep breath, then slowly stepped into the Inex Gate.
The gate's interior was dark.
Ru-ri channeled mana into her brooch, illuminating the surroundings.
"They'll attack once we go a bit deeper, right?"
—The energy inside the gate feels off. Wouldn't it be better to move with your contractors?
"Ah, you're right."
Ru-ri thought of her sleeping contractors and called out softly.
"Manifest."
She summoned Drayger, Basillahan, and Jan Yerkko in turn, then paused to consider.
"Hmm... Kaiza said it's best if he sleeps... Should I just let him rest?"
Jan Yerkko gently stroked Ru-ri's cheek and spoke.
—The energy here is different from before. There's something powerful. The more allies we have, the better our chances of taking it down.
As Jan Yerkko suggested, Ru-ri first summoned Tia Kle, then Kaiza.
Perhaps sensing Teba's presence, Drayger was highly excited, huffing out hot breaths.
—Excitement is building.
"Ugh, that's hot. Wow, but having everyone together like this makes me feel so secure."
Drayger playfully tapped Ru-ri's head with his tail as she smiled brightly.
The little Tia Kle that Tia Kle summoned danced excitedly in the air beside Ru-ri.
"Alright, now for the last one. Let's call Ezold, who gave us so much trouble before."
Ru-ri summoned Ezold last, then slowly looked over her contractors.
"The guy in here is named Teba. He's really strong. Humans got wiped out without a chance before. I don't want to lose any of you. So please don't push yourselves too hard. Promise me."
Drayger replied haughtily.
—Hmph. No one will perish here.
—For my girl, I'm not afraid of vanishing. But I want to see you a little longer, so I'll do my best.
Jan Yerkko's tenderness made the tip of Ru-ri's nose tingle.
"Shall we go?"
The contractors drew on Ru-ri's dark mana one by one, entering combat readiness.
Shadow and the little Tia Kle took the lead.
The group pressed deeper into the gate, all hyped up.
From a distance came a familiar metallic clang.
"Incoming."
As Ru-ri shouted, familiar hooks flew in right away.
Basillahan mounted his steed first and charged into the air, yelling.
—Crush them.
At his command, the anaconda legion surged forward, blocking the hook attacks.
Shadow had already dashed ahead out of sight, pursuing the chains' origin.
Drayger swiftly summoned his Drayger legion to prevent the chains from reaching Ru-ri, forming black orbs alongside Basillahan to block them.
—Kieeeek!
Teba's cry pierced their eardrums.
"We won't go down as easily as last time."
Shadow located the glass tube hiding Teba and shattered it in an instant.
Teba leaped high into the air, brows furrowed deeply.
Shadow quickly returned to Ru-ri's side, awaiting her orders.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gung!
"The real fight starts now! Everyone, be careful!"
At Ru-ri's cry, the contractors pulled even more fiercely on her dark mana, steeling their combat stances.
Meanwhile, at Light Guild headquarters.
"Ru-ri went into the Inex Gate alone?"
Yang Jeong-hyun grabbed Han Seung-woo and shook him in shock, asking again.
"You know I couldn't stop her."
"You were babying her even for normal gates, worried she'd get hurt? I can't wrap my head around this. How do you send her alone into a gate that failed three times with all those hunters? Are you seriously okay in the head?"
"We'll just do our jobs."
"Fine, let's hear it. What were you thinking? Spill it right. Or I might just eat you alive right now. So what exactly are our jobs?"
"Ru-ri obtained a weapon comparable to SS-rank."
"What does that mean?"
Lee Sang-chun and Kwon Dong-nyeon had just entered Han Seung-woo's room and jumped in surprise.
"Ru-ri had been gathering materials for a Conqueror-exclusive weapon, and now she's completed it, even upgrading it with Goblin's Tears into a monstrous piece."
"My god..."
"And with that, she headed off to solo the Inex Gate."
"Even an SS-rank weapon! It failed with over a hundred people! Alone? That's suicide!"
"Not necessarily."
Everyone turned at Ham Dae-hee's words.
Kim Tae-woong and Ham Dae-hee had just entered the room.
"Not necessarily?"
"Seung-woo, now that Ru-ri's made her move for real, we can go public, right?"
"Yes. That would be best."
Ham Dae-hee sent a file via message to everyone in the room.
They all gasped upon checking it.
"Is this for real?"
Ham Dae-hee continued at Lee Sang-chun's question.
"Yes. Ru-ri's stats are currently unmeasurable on our system."
"That's weird. They were fine during the last check."
"Just think about it. Do you think the revenue she's raking in is normal?"
"It's insane."
"Yeah, not normal. She's pulling in 40 billion every 24 hours."
"When she puts her mind to it, that's the number, and she's steadily donating 10 billion a day to the guild."
"That's why Chairman Han suspects Ru-ri of hacking the system."
"What?"
"Choi Tae-san, you all remember him?"
Lee Sang-chun's expression darkened instantly.
"Teacher Lee worked briefly with Choi Tae-san in a crew, but the point is, Chairman Han got a tip that Choi and Ru-ri are linked, hacking the system to amass wealth."
"He's definitely lost it."
Lee Sang-chun said in a deeply sunken voice.
"Through Surveillance Chief Kim Jong-cheol, Choi Tae-san requested to meet Ru-ri, so we've set up a visit to the surveillance office in two days."
"Come to think of it, not blood-related but as family, she's practically Tae-san hyung's granddaughter."
"There seem to be circumstances we don't know about, but that'll come to light in time. Anyway, the reason I gathered you all is this."
Han Seung-woo played a short video.
"Hello. My name is Millia. Please help me and my mom. A gate appeared in our yard. My mom vanished from where the gate opened. And this thing that came out is wearing my mom's necklace. I think this is my mom. Han Ho is trying to take her away. Can't my mom become human again? I'm so scared. Please help. I'm begging you."
The short video ended quickly, but no one spoke first.
A heavy silence slowly filled the room.
Han Seung-woo broke it.
"It's a video that arrived secretly from India."
"Ha... I can't process this... What the hell is..."
"If Chairman Han reached out first, it doesn't seem trivial."
"A monster with belongings from someone who vanished due to a gate phenomenon..."
"It matches one of our long-standing hypotheses remarkably well."
"But that monster didn't attack the girl?"
"Yes. Hurt has already intervened, so they're living together out of Chairman Han's sight."
Kwon Dong-nyeon slapped Lee Sang-chun's thigh.
"We just bring her to our side, right? We'll handle it."
"It could be dangerous."
"That's exactly why we should go. Who are we? The true core elders of Light!"
"If you two step up, I can breathe easier."
"Then I'll prep with Dae-hee and Teacher Kim to study that monster."
"Yes. Since it doesn't attack humans, a thorough investigation is needed."
"I get it. But still, sending Ru-ri alone? No matter how I think about it, it's insane. What's the plan?"
"After assigning tasks to you all, I'll go provide support."
"Ha, and that's your plan? You're both crazy."
Yang Jeong-hyun shook her head.
Ham Dae-hee calmed her and continued.
"Don't get so mad. There's more. Seung-woo's stats are also unmeasurable now."
"What?"
"Similar situation to Ru-ri."
"But they were fine last check."
"Whose eyes or the system—which is more accurate?"
"Yours, of course..."
"Seung-woo, how long since Ru-ri left?"
"About two hours."
"Now that Jeong-hyun knows too, we'll handle control here. Go now. We'll send backup if needed. Tae-woong hyung powered up his reawakening, so we've got a solid pool ready."
"Got it."
Suddenly, the killing intent enveloping Han Seung-woo made everyone in the room shudder involuntarily.
"What the!"
"Whoa, that's some real menace. Dae-hee! Look, goosebumps all over!"
Han Seung-woo chuckled at Kim Tae-woong's dramatics.
"Oh? The master's smiling!"
"I'll be off."
Han Seung-woo slipped on the knuckleduster from the coat rack, clenched his fist, and strode out.
They watched him hurry past the transparent glass wall in silence for a moment, then scattered to their tasks.
Han Seung-woo first headed to the equipment purchase center to pick up his requested weapon.
'I can't surpass Ru-ri, but at least I need to be helpful.'
The center attendant handed him the case upon seeing him.
"Vice Chairman, your equipment. The craftsman said it's made from top-grade trophies, so no handler weapon will match its specs for a while."
"Thanks. And the auxiliary gear?"
"Ah! One sec!"
The attendant urgently called somewhere.
"Please wait? The basement delivery just arrived."
"Understood."
Han Seung-woo sat on the lobby sofa, fitted the weapon, and checked stats.
'Attack power 1,700. If I control the killing intent right, I should be decent—not Shadow level, but usable.'
He messaged Choi Si-jin asking his location.
Office. You heading out?
Not yet, about to. While Ru-ri and I tackle the gate, keep our side from leaking out. Have Heung-min and Ji-an put mid-rank hunters into training starting today. Max them out before the Inex Alliance raid.
Got it. Be safe. Beer when you get back?
Deal.
The center attendant called Han Seung-woo.
"Your auxiliary gear. Please check."
He hurriedly opened the case to inspect it.
Inside were two thin rings.
He slipped one on and checked the stats.
Auxiliary Gear Type: Seal Ring
Attack Power: 300
Durability: 200
Increases skill attack power by 10% when equipped.
"Durability's a bit low."
"Auxiliaries can break easily, but repair it before zero and it'll be like new."
"Got it. Thanks."
Han Seung-woo pocketed the other ring, left the center, and checked the gate coordinates from Choi Si-jin.
It was the Inex Gate Ru-ri had entered.
"Suwon, huh. Gotta hurry."